Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, is under fire for a recently uncovered tattoo. Fur critics have said that the skull-and-crossbones design on his chest looks like Nazi iconography. Platner raised a storm of criticism when he took ownership of the tattoo’s inflammatory nature. He confessed he hadn’t realized how similar it was until very recently.
Platner explained that the tattoo was a traditional military insignia. It has been one of the most incendiary issuances ever, provoking howls of protest from supporters and detractors alike. He continued to insist that had he known of its historical tie to Nazi symbolism he would not have picked it. I would have prevented this heavy burden had I known,” Platner said, expressing his intense remorse for the act.
Platner has an impressive military service, in the Marine Corps and Army National Guard. Yet, he’s been raked over the coals for his bigoted and obviously inflammatory posts on Reddit from 2013-2021. In those incoming posts, he mocked police officers with derogatory terms like a**h**le, b**tards, racist b*****d, stupid cops, etc. This outlier part of his online presence should be a serious red flag to voters about his fitness to serve in public office.
Platner has certainly piqued the interest of potentially hundreds of attendees to his town hall events. He’s attempting to take the Senate spot of the inimitably awful personally ambitious homer, U.S. He has positioned himself as a candidate critical of the Democratic establishment, which resonates with certain voters in the state.
In a statement addressing the tattoo controversy, Platner said he was disappointed at how quickly the tide had turned against his character. “I have gone over four days from being a communist to a Nazi, by those who are trying to brand me,” he told me. Taken in the context of those events, I find this to be a truly spectacular irony as I consult with counsel on protecting my intentions and character.
His previous political director, Genevieve McDonald, has publicly expressed doubt about Platner’s protestations of ignorance about the tattoo’s meaning. She explained that Platner probably had an idea of what his tattoo represented. With as deep and broad of knowledge as he has of military history, I find it difficult to believe he didn’t know about those symbols all along.
Platner decided on a pretty haunting skull and crossbones tattoo. As for the bullshit symbolism he told these marines, they all liked the symbolism and dug skulls and crossbones because that’s just a classic military motif. This explanation tries to place the tattoo in a context many veterans can relate to.
Platner, who is still in the middle of a competitive campaign for one of Maine’s open state Senate seats, along with his past inflammatory comments, the tattoo flap could affect how voters feel about him. Forthcoming weeks will show how adeptly he’s able to address these challenges and still keep support flowing from his constituents.